Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

196 HYACINTHACEAE
Description
Habitat and
distribution
in 1970. It has small flowers, like the former species, but
have narrowly lanceolate, not cordate, leaves, and it also
lacks the papillae of L. cordifolia.
Plants 9­35 cm long. Leaves lanceolate, up to 18 × 8 cm, most often
much narrower, often with purple spots or lines. Inflorescence 3–10
cm long, relatively lax to dense with up to 60 flowers. Pedicels 3–12
mm long. Flowers greenish to purplish. Tepals greenish 4–8 mm
long. Capsule c. 5 mm long.
The species grows in grassland or open bushland in clay
and sandy soils between 450 and 2800 m. It is recorded
from most floristic regions of Ethiopia and Eritrea, and
it is widespread all over tropical and southern Africa.
The species is polymorphic and more studies are needed.
The flowering period in Ethiopia is mainly April to June,
but flowers have also been collected in September to
November.
5. DRIMIA Jacq.
A genus with white to pink flowers, most often producing
the flowers before the leaves. Like Schizobasis it has
bracts carrying a spur (pocket­like extension) at the base,
and sometimes even an additional one in the middle. The
function of these spurs is not known.
The leaves are linear to lanceolate. The erect scape
carries a spicate inflorescence that is lax or condensed.
The pedicels are erect or ascending. The tepals are free
or united. The filaments are free, but may be fused with
the tepals in the basal end. The ovary has several ovules
per locule, producing multi­seeded capsules that area
more or less ovoid in shape. The seeds are black, most
often flattened and winged, with a more or less elliptic
outline.
The genus has often been split into two, Drimia and
Urginea, the former including plants with more or less
tubular flowers, the latter with more or less stellate
flowers. There are, however, gradual transitions, and the
two flower morphs are not correlated with other variable
traits.
The genus includes about 100 species in Africa and
the Mediterranean area with extensions to India. Six
species are recorded from Ethiopia.